Mid-Pacific's Ethan Escobido finishes off a fast break layup in the first half against Damien. Escobido scored a game-high 23 points in the win. Brien Ing | SL

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Mid-Pacific's Ethan Escobido finishes off a fast break layup in the first half against Damien. Escobido scored a game-high 23 points in the win. Brien Ing | SL

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Mid-Pacific overcame foul trouble and a spirited Damien rally in the fourth quarter to post a 57-42 victory at Mills Gymnasium.

Ethan Escobido scored 13 points in the first quarter alone before sitting for much of the second quarter with foul trouble. A quick third foul coming out of the break took him out once again for a stretch in the third quarter as well, though Escobido still scored another 10 points in the second half for a game-high 23.

A racheted up Monarchs' press kept the Owls more than a bit off balance offensively, and triggered a fourth quarter rally that got the visiting team to within four points. But Mid-Pacific eventually settled, and found its way through the press for either open layups or trips to the charity stripe, where it made 10-of-12 free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach.

The aforementioned foul trouble extended beyond just Escobido, as the Owls racked up 13 fouls in the first half and another 12 after the intermission for a total of 25 personals. Damien had a total of 18 fouls called, 12 of them coming in the second half, as the Monarchs resorted to fouling in a comeback bid.

Free throws factored heavily into the result, as the Monarchs hit just 10 of 25 shots from the line. Those 15 misses? The margin of victory. Mid-Pacific in comparison, knocked down 20 of 28 free throws, a respectable 71 percent clip.

Dillon Sevilleja scored a team-high 15 points for Damien in the loss.